Jormunga Jungle (Mission)
Jormunga Jungle is the seventh main Mission. It was adapted from the Jyoga Jungle sidequest in version 1.7. Story Arriving back at the Lair after her disastrous voyage through Pirate Bay, Suki skulks into the Guildmaster's quarters, where he is quite furious, stating that, rather than hearing of her safe arrival in Belbasa Harbor, he's been getting intense heat from the merchant in Port Ismel about the kidnapper's failure to protect his ship from Dariana's pirates. Leroy manages to both calm the situation and patronize his novice at the same time, with the Master agreeing that she has to make up for her mistakes this time. Because of the recent incident, the smugglers have seemingly cut ties with the Guild, thus the Princess must now travel the long route, through the land. Her destination is a town on the border of the Dark Hills, Florian, from which she can cross into the region. As a condition, of course, she must oversee the transportation of some Guild "merchandise" into the country bordering the Kingdom, with a final warning not to disappoint the Master again, as Leroy goes on ahead to the town to secure things for their arrival. One that's sure to be delayed... Riding out on Aster's carriage, Carol expresses her strong boredom, symptomatic of an exceedingly long voyage, before being cut off by Athena, with the mercenary then cursing herself aloud for not accompanying Suki on her voyage through pirate-infested waters. As the kidnapper is lost in thought, she is brought back to reality, with her companions noting the change in her demeanor. The Princess expresses her uncomfortability with traveling in hooded wagons, then quickly brushing it off, just as the carriage grinds to a halt. As Athena gets up to look outside, Suki is just as quick to hold her off, having vivid flashes of her first wagon ride. Aster then calls out and claims their trip will have to take a detour, explaining that a bout of fighting has erupted up ahead, drawing the bloodthirsty mercenary out in spite of her companion's protests. He then mutters disdain in facing the "natives", elaborating that the area they're traveling through, Jormunga Jungle, has undergone recent settlement efforts by the Kingdom, but the native population has put up fierce resistance in turn. Athena puts it to the question of who they're supposed to be fighting, Suki once again protesting, before Aster muses about a side road that, while taking longer, will hopefully let them steer clear of the fighting. With a final ironic comment from the mercenary, the journey gets underway again. Shortly after, Carol notes the eerie silence surrounding them, with Athena supporting that, just as the carriage stops short again, with no response from Aster to their calls, until he states they have a problem developing outside. With the mercenary jumping out on a whim, her companions follow her, and jump right in the middle of an angry native mob. With the suddenness of their ambush, Aster had no way to get around. A native warrior demands that they lower their weapons, citing the large number of enemies around them, with Suki nudging Athena. Another warrior comes up behind, and says they'd be wise to obey the Queen's orders. With some skepticism from Carol, the native leader offers one last chance for their surrender, with the alternative not looking too good either: # If Suki surrenders, the natives will capture the party and imprison them in their village, resulting in an Escape sequence. Winning will allow the party to escape, leading directly to the meeting with Lisa instead of going through the jungle to the abandoned outpost. # If Suki refuses, the kidnapper will state their intention to move ahead to an important task, and the natives will take their defiance as an insult and initiate battle. If the party is defeated, Scenario 1 will play out. If the party defeats the natives, Carol and Athena will preemptively celebrate before being reminded by their comrade of the remaining score of natives around them. As Kamala herself prepares to step into the fray, in a surprise twist, the mele-happy Athena asks that they beat a retreat, surprising Suki and Carol before conceding, as they flee into the jungle brush. Regrouping, Athena scolds herself and decries the Queen's superior-numbers tactic before being reminded that they're trying not ''to get caught right now. With Aster right behind them, he states that there's supposed to be a settlement in the area, under Cherisa's orders to expand across the whole of Jormunga, which eventually lead to the conflict with the natives. Deciding there's no better option, the party, minus a lazy carriage driver, ventures into the jungle... Managing to either sneak or fight their way past the patrolling natives, or escaping from the village prison, the party arrives at the location of the settlement, finding it entirely abandoned and decrepit, or on the cliffs high above Jormunga. Save at the nearby blue chest and pass through to the northwestern corner, or west, where they come upon some natives accosting a lone settler. Out of nowhere, Suki rushes forward and calls out to the warriors, grabbing everyone's attention, especially her companions'. The natives decide to test their mettle, with the kidnapper imploring her comrades to only subdue, not hurt them, the thief agreeing implicitly. If the party defeats their assailants, they'll leave them bound and gagged and gather around the settler. She fervently praises them, eliciting a show of joy from the previous-solitary Suki, with her companions noticing this as well. The settler, Lisa, then explains that her people have an outpost nearby, safe and hidden from the natives, where everyone that managed to escape from the settlement is residing. Leaving the captive natives to be rescued by their own in time, the party moves onward, to the safe haven. The scene then shifts to a small, but steady collection of buildings serving as the outpost, high atop a towering peak in the heart of Jormunga. Lisa states it was done so to give them a wide view of the jungle, and fortunately with a telescopic vantage peering down upon the natives' village to the east. She then leads them to the settlers' elected mayor, Cilia, whom thanks them while in turn scolding the young woman for venturing beyond the outpost. She goes on to explain that, even before Cherisa's reign, the Kingdom had long coveted the rich resources within Jormunga's landscape, though even then, they were repelled by the tribe of natives that live closest to the Kingdom, the Queen, Kamala, strict in her declaration of sovereignty despite the settlers' attempts at diplomacy. When they still refused to leave, she attacked the settlement and drove them into this outpost, though Cilia suspects she won't relinquish her warmongering until every trace of the settlers is gone from the jungle. The mayor fears that, if something is not done to halt the conflict, it will spill over into full-scale war, with both the Royal Army and other tribes getting involved. Carol then makes the suggestion of removing Kamala from the equation, particularly via a heavy amount of rope. Lisa, in turn, explains that, because the settlers were never trained in anything beyond farming, the only one in their number who can fight back is Cilia, who is an accomplished mage. Though Athena tosses out some snark, Suki is the one to state their goal of reaching Florian Town, but now have no idea how to accomplish that. While Cilia would like to help, she notes that the natives have become more active recently, and will likely target the party should they meet out in the jungle. Before anything more can be said, however, a settler rushes in with terrible news: somehow, the natives have discovered the outpost's location and are amassing nearby, with Suki suspecting they followed the party after rescuing Lisa. Cilia resolves to meet Kamala face-to-face, and asks that the party accompany her in the event fighting breaks out. All participants scale down the moutainside, towards an inevitable meeting and a tough decision... Upon emerging from the brush on the settlers' side of a bridge spanning a deep chasm, with the natives on the other side, Queen Kamala immediately recognizes and calls out Cilia, the "gold-haired witch" as she refers to the mayor. The settler once more attempts to bring diplomacy to the table, and once more the native leader rebuffs her, countering with her belief that the settlers are a terror to the jungle, cutting down its trees to build their homes, before revealing her knowledge of Cilia's scouting party, additionally arousing intrigue from Suki. The Queen continues to say that the settlers intend to mine the jungle, with the kidnapper pressing the mayor for answers. Cilia finally relents and explains that, in addition to the settlement, the Kingdom's Queen Cherisa also demanded that they attempt to dig up the precious minerals buried within the soil of Jormunga, likely as a source of material for weapons and armor. Kamala cuts back in, holding her resolve high, though, after some pecking by Carol, the native leader states that, instead of killing them, she intends to enslave them, keeping Cilia for herself while passing the rest along to the guilds. She challenges Suki on the belief that both of them are doing what's right for their people, just as a band of the settlers comes running out from the brush, poorly armed but willing to fight with their mayor, despite her protests. The Queen then gestures to the Princess, asking her to consider who she intends to side with. Cilia, in turn, states her intentions were never to destroy the jungle, though admits she cannot refuse her own Queen, vilifying Kamala's point. The native leader offers Suki one last chance to help her evict the settlers, while the mayor pleads as well, saying that removing the Queen now can lead to peace. The choice stands before her, and will have lasting impacts both known and unknown: * If Suki sides with Kamala, the settlers will become hostile to the party, and the natives will warily accept their help in defeating Cilia. * If Suki sides with Cilia, the Queen will reaffirm her intention to eradicate the settlers, now adding Suki and co. to her list of enemies. If siding with Cilia, the Queen warns them that she will enjoy submitting them both as her captives, before signaling to her warriors to attack. The settlers charge in as well, and are quickly overwhelmed. Despite Athena's resolution to stay and fight, through Suki's pleading, she begrudgingly accepts only because, and the party and settlers retreat to the outpost. A later scouting through the telescope shows that the natives have also retreated to their village. After a short rant from the mercenary, Cilia elaborates that Kamala's tribe organize their way of life around an honor system called the Code of the Sun, through which they likely considered the settlers as opponents unworthy of an honorable defeat and so did not pursue them after the escape. From Cilia's perspective, peace seems very unlikely so long as Kamala maintains her leadership of the tribe. She thus is forced to ask the party for help in defusing the situation, by removing the Queen from her throne. Though Athena briefly muses about a lethal outcome, surprising Suki, the mayor calms it down by asking that she simply be unable to interfere in the negotiation of peace. Because the settlers were never sent to wage war, and Cilia had hardly leave them behind to join in, she implores the party to do this task in their stead. After some barbing from Athena and Carol's usual giddiness at being able to tie up some girls, the party departs the outpost and makes their way over the rocky cliffs to the cave entrance leading into the village, Suki's companions giving their two-cents before the party marches into the cougar's den. Through either absolute stealth or outright assault, the party manages to reach Kamala's throne room, where she, along with a throng of guards, calmly greets the intruders, stating that she has no intention of letting them leave or agree to help her, not after what's happened. Suki attempts one last time to convince the Queen to accept peace, but is once again rebuked, whereupon Athena intentionally grabs for her lance, in turn inciting the natives to initiate battle. Despite their many years of training and immense skill, the Queen and the last resisters of her people are eventually defeated, restrained, and muffled. After some moments of winner's remorse from the party, an unbound native comes running in, only to discover her leader defeated and captive. Though Athena anticipates another battle, instead, they openly deem Kamala no longer worthy of being the Queen, in accordance with the Code of the Sun, and thus depose her. Later in the outpost, Cilia communicates that the natives' newly crowned Queen has already accepted a peace treaty with the Kingdom settlers. Though Carol points out the cruel fate that befell the ex-Queen, the mayor brushes it off for the moment. Suki then brings up the idea of Cherisa ordering the mining of the jungle again, which Cilia solemnly concedes, stating that, if not from them, the Queen would most certainly get the minerals for her Army one way or another. With the grim thought in their mind of what awaits them in the Dark Hills, the mayor interrupts with one last bit of business. Apparently, when she was deposed, not only was Kamala exiled from the village, her people did not even afford her the comfort of having her limbs and mouth free, and thus she is currently locked up in the outpost's temporary prison, bound and gagged, with Cilia unsure of what to do with her. Carol, unsurprisingly, offers for the party to take possession of her to add to the collection, with some minor resistance from Suki before ultimately conceding, as the Mission ends. If siding with Kamala, the settler leader expressing her complete bewilderment, while Suki's companions merely offer their suspicions before ultimately following suit. Rather than press her luck, Cilia simply has her people retreat to the outpost, while the natives gear up for pursuing them, until Kamala forcibly stops them, citing the Code of the Sun, though does not provide much detail about it. With their Queen leading her people back to the village, the party, if reluctantly follows. Back at the partially hidden native village, seated on her throne, Kamala starts off with her usual smugness, leading Athena to bluntly question why the native leader even deigned to ask them to betray the settlers, with the Queen snobbing her right back. She then states that she found it in herself to see them as useful tools. Kamala explains the strict and far-reaching influence of the Code of the Sun, to the extent that even she as Queen is subject to its punishing commandments. After another verbal bite from Athena, with Suki doing her best to check her companion's gruff demeanor towards the native leader, the Queen goes on to explain their role in her plan: because the Code prohibits the natives from fighting weak opponents, thus why the tribe hasn't already destroyed the settlers in their outpost, though when they previously hired a mercenary group for protection, the natives took this opportunity to evict them from their settlement to the outpost. She requires the party to finish the job for her, their being outsiders excluding them from the Code's bid, with a specific directive to capture Cilia and bring her back there, as the mayor is what keeps the settlers in line and determined to remain in Jormunga. Returning to the gap that bridges the settler and native territories, Athena openly expresses her displeasure at having to bend knee to Kamala, that "high-and-mighty witch" as she calls her. Carol still keeps her tie-happy attitude, though even that's beginning to chafe. The party continues ahead through the thick brush to reach the outpost, where they manage to either sneak past or beat down the attentive settlers and reach the mayor's house. Inside, they stumble upon the civilian council making the rash decision to evacuate before Athena bluntly interrupts. With some nasty remarks from Cilia aside, the settlers prepare to defend their mayor, with her participating as well to ensure the party's defeat. Despite their bravado, however, the faux bodyguards are swiftly knocked down, and the mayor trussed up and silenced, while Lisa stands by, aghast at the turn of events. The mercenary offers a firm warning not to interfere, as the poor girl starts to rationalize their previous rescue of her as a way to get to Cilia. Not wanting to cause any more misery than what's already been done, the party returns to the village, their captive mayor in tow. Back in the Queen's throne room, Kamala openly taunts the bound Cilia, just as one of her warriors reports that the settlers have abandoned the outpost and the jungle after their leader's defeat. As the native leader demands that her new captive be put to work immediately, Suki instead proposes that she and her companions be allowed to take Cilia with them, with the Queen indifferently accepting, as the Mission ends. Strategy and Tips * '''Ambush' - The first of many fights with the natives of Jormunga, you will be faced with the max enemy count, composed of two Native Warriors, an Archer, and a Shaman. The Warriors use incredibly strong basic attacks, the Archer alternates between a strong basic arrow attack, and a "Piercing Arrow" move that will quickly defeat a low-level kidnapper, and the Shaman will make use of moderately strong basic attacks and "Heal" and "Venom" spells. Keep your potions close, and your Skills closer. * Welcome to Jormunga - In a similar vein to the prison break in the fourth mission, your party has to follow a twisting path around to the abandoned settlement, only there are no cupboards to hide in here, not that it was possible, to begin with, and plenty of natives interspersed between start and finish. Attempting to Capture the natives will never work and always results in battle, so don't bother. Although, you have access to your stealth items, i.e. smoke grenades, invisibility potion, so plan their use carefully. Detection and combat are highly likely to occur more than once in this sequence. This can be skipped entirely by either surrendering before, or losing, the first battle. * DiD Rescuer '''- When there's a lady in distress, the kidnappers are here to help... themselves, most of the time. You'll be facing three enemies here: a Warrior, Archer, and Shaman. Apply whatever strategy worked best in the first battle, and put them on their toes. * '''Village Sneak - If you sided with Cilia and the settlers, then this is the prelude to the final battle. Thankfully, unlike the first sneak section, this one is more along the lines of a Capturing Zone, as you are now able to get behind and either Capture, Ambush, or Fight the natives, though there aren't any damsel barrels here, so you'll have to leave them behind, and hope that you don't have to come back to the area later. You also have access to your stealth items. Either Capture, Ambush, or Subdue the first two natives in the cave system, then enter the village from a hidden hole in the rocks. Unfortunately, this is where the fun stops, because now it's exactly like the first sneak section; if you try to Capture the natives in the village, they'll react immediately and initiate battle, so it's probably better to either sneak, or go all out and fight everyone, because they'll all rush you if detected even once. * Regicide - After either stealthily bypassing or indiscreetly Subduing the entire native village, enter the building at the northwestern corner of the area, and confront the Queen, accompanied by at least four guards. As the final battle commences, you will face off against the max enemy count of four, against a Warrior, an Archer, a Shaman, and Queen Kamala. Refer to the previous battles for tips on the former three. Kamala herself wields an extremely powerful basic attack, capable of Weakening a medium-level kidnapper in at least two turns. Make the potion rain for this fight. Additionally, if you have it and are willing to risk the consequences should it fail, summon Genie to the fight, and use her "Almighty Blow" move. While Kamala will often be able to survive this, most, if not all three, of her bodyguards will be Weakened and open to Capture once the spirit leaves the fight. Consider bringing the enemy's HP down at least a hundred points or more before attempting this, to maximize its potential. * Outpost Sneak - If you sided with Kamala and the natives, then this is the prelude to the final battle. Unlike its counterpart, this section plays out like a Capturing Zone. The first settler encountered on the cliffs can be Captured, Ambushed, or Subdued. Once you enter the outpost, there are four female settlers roaming around, and every one of them can be Captured, Ambushed, or Subdued. If the second one, if you can defeat the attacker before the debuff vanishes, then you won't be detected. You have access to your stealth items, but consider this: the settlers' perception's range is low compared to the natives, so use this to your advantage when sneaking up on them. * For the People - Getting to the mayor's house either by stealth or by force, enter to confront the magically-inclined Cilia and two farmers. Though their basic attacks are relatively weak, they do their guard duty well, as they prevent the mayor from being Captured until they themselves are defeated. Cilia, on the other hand, possess a high HP count, while wielding a moderately strong basic attack and "Earth" and "Greater Earth" spells, so be prepared for infliction of Injured status. Cilliafight.png|A screenshot of the fight against Cilia and two farmers. Cilliadefeated.png|A screenshot of Cilia being defeated in battle. Rewards * Gold * Cilia as a Trophy Hall damsel (sided with the natives) * Queen Kamala as a Trophy Hall damsel (sided with the settlers) Category:Missions